Larry nodded.
“But… everyone on the ship thinks that our voyage is almost over.”
“I know,” Larry said. “It might be just beginning.”
Dr. Loring shook his head, making his heavy jowls quiver. “The people won’t like it. They are not emotionally prepared for going farther. The ship isn’t built to…”
“The ship can be repaired, overhauled. The people—well, the people will make the final decision, I guess. But I’d like them to understand the alternatives. Or at least to have an alternative to Alpha Centauri.”
“We don’t have the equipment on board to study planets of other stars from the ship. We can barely make out details of the major Centaurian planet, as it is.”
“Then you’ll have to build the equipment,” Larry said.
“In two months? I’m …”
“You’ve got less time than that,” Larry said, his voice hard and cold as plastisteel. “I want to be getting some data before we’re forced to settle into an orbit around the major planet.”
For once, Loring was speechless. He sat there open-mouthed, blinking wetly.
“You’ll get all the help you need,” Larry said. “I’ll see to that. But I want evidence of other Earthlike planets. They’ve got to be out there somewhere.”
“Why? Because you want them to exist?”
Larry could feel his teeth clenching. He forced himself to stay as calm as possible while answering, “No… it’s not just that. I don’t want to see my children altered to live on an inhuman world. Val’s children. Your grandchildren.”
Dr. Loring was silent for a long moment. Then, “He’s called her, you know.”
“Dan?”
“Yes. He wants to have dinner with her tonight.”
“She agreed?”
“Yes. I expect she’ll tell him about her decision to marry you.”
With a shake of his head, Larry replied, “No, I don’t think so. He’s been through enough recently; I don’t think Val will want to add that to his troubles.”
“But she’s got to!” Dr. Loring’s face started to redden. “Otherwise… she can’t let him think…”
“I know,” Larry said. “I know. But I’m afraid that Dan’s right on the edge of a real mental crackup. He’s like a man who’s gone outside and tethered himself to the level one wheel. He’s spinning around and around… and the more he spins, the wilder he feels.”
It had been a quiet, tense dinner. Valery and Dan had eaten in the ship’s main autocafeteria, in one of the shadowy little booths far away from the main dining area and the pickup lines with their crowds and noise.
They had said very little. Val looked beautiful but very serious in a red jumpsuit. Dan was dark and silent in a black coverall.
Now they were walking down a quiet corridor, back toward Dan’s quarters, a one-room compartment exactly like Larry’s. It even had one of Val’s paintings on its wall.
“You’ve decided on Larry, haven’t you?” Dan asked abruptly.
She stopped walking, right there in the middle of the nearly deserted corridor. “I think so. I told him-yes.”
He took her arm and resumed walking; she had to quicken her former pace to keep up with him. Without looking down at her, he asked, “You love him?”
“I love you both. You know that.”
“But you want to marry him.”
“He… he’s asked me to.”
“And you want your children to be the Chairman’s son and daughter.”
“No, it’s not that!”
“And if I were Chairman?”
Valery shook her head. “You’re not.”
“I could be.”
“No… not now. Larry has it and they’ll re-elect him. You won’t get another chance.”
Still looking straight ahead, he asked, “Suppose he’s voted out? Even before his first year’s over?”
“What?” She stopped again and pulled her arm free. “What are you saying, Dan?”
With a shrug, he answered, “Chairmen have been voted out before their terms were up. When the Council decides that the Chairman can’t handle the job. Or when they think there’s a better man available.”
“Don’t try it,” Valery said earnestly. “You’ll be hurting Larry and you’ll be hurting yourself even more.”
“I deserve to be Chairman,” Dan insisted. “But more than that—much more!—I want you. I love you, Val. I’ve always loved you. I’d tear this ship apart to get you, if I had to.”
“Oh, Dan… don’t.,. please…”
He reached out and took her into his arms. “You’re not going to marry Larry or anybody else. Only me. You think you’ve made up your mind, but just wait. By the time we go into orbit around the planet out there, you’ll see everything differently. You’ll see…”
Something in her head was telling Valery to push free of him, but something even stronger made her stay in his arms Looking up into his intent, deadly serious face, she said, “Dan… don’t make me come between you and Larry You’ve been friends…” It sounded pathetically weak, even while she was saying it.
“Larry might have murdered my father.”
“What?” In sudden amazement, she did push out of his grasp.
“I don’t think that fire was an accident. Somebody caused it Larry benefited from it.”
“Dan, that’s insane! Larry’s own father…”
“What’ll you think when I prove it?” Dan said, his voice rising to nearly a shout “Would you like to be married to a murderer?”
“Dan, stop it!”
“Well, would you?”
Valery turned suddenly and began running back down the corridor, the way they had just come.
“Val… wait.” He raced after her, caught her arm.
“I’m going home!” She pulled her arm free. “If you have any sense of decency at all you’ll never mention such a crazy thing again. Do you understand? Not to me or anyone else!”
She left him standing there, looking suddenly alone and helpless—and yet, as Valery glanced back toward him, Dan also seemed darkly resolved, strong and purposeful She shuddered Larry, a murderer? It was insane. But… that meant that Dan was—insane!
Which was it?
And with a final helping of horror, Valery realized, Whichever it is, I’ve helped to cause it’
Dan watched her hurry down the corridor, knowing that he had driven her away.
Maybe l am crazy, he said to himself. How could Larry…He couldn’t, not Larry!
But another part of his mind droned with remorseless logic.
Someone caused the fire. Someone killed fifty people and kept you from your rightful position as Chairman. Someone wants to change everything, have everything his own way.
Feeling sick and confused and more angry with himself than anyone else, Dan made his way back to his own quarters.
It wasn’t until he had dropped onto his bunk that he noticed his viewscreen had MESSAGE WAITING written in glowing yellow letters across it.
He sat up on the bunk and punched the yellow button among the cluster on the keyboard beside the screen. The face of a young man appeared on the screen. Dan couldn’t quite place him, he knew he had seen him before, but didn’t know him personally.
“I’m Ross Cranston, from the computer section. I have a private message for Dan Christopher. I’ll be in my quarters until first shift starts tomorrow morning.”
The taped message faded from the screen. Puzzled, Dan touched the green button and said, “Get me Ross Cranston, please.”
The computer-directed phone circuits answered with nothing but a faint hum Then the same face appeared on the screen.
He looked just a little startled. “Oh, you’re Dan Christopher, aren’t you?”
“That’s right,” Dan said. “You wanted to speak to me.”
Cranston said, “Yes. But not on the phone. Are you busy? Can I come to your quarters? Or you can come to mine.”